The Weeknd Is Getting The ‘House Of Balloons’ Gang Back Together

Now that he’s gotten his taste of pop superstardom and logged a Max Martin smash, could The Weeknd be retreating back to the more drugged-out, vaporous sounds of his breakout mixtapes? Although, to be fair, “The Hills” was just as drugged-out and sinister as any of his early stuff and it turned out to be a huge hit, so he never really abandoned those roots. Anyway, a recent Vogue feature reveals he’s been working on new material with the collaborators from his iconic 2011 mixtape House Of Balloons.

The story states “he’s in the studio with the House Of Balloons team again” and The Weeknd himself clarifies “But it’s a new thing. Always a new thing.”

Most likely, this means he linked back up with Canadian producers Doc McKinney (who was absent from The Weeknd’s last two albums) and Illangelo (who wasn’t on Kiss Land but had a handful of production credits on Beauty Behind The Madness). The ultimate twist, though, would be if this meant he was reuniting with his original original production partner, Jeremy Rose (aka Zodiac), who was a primary architect of his breakout tracks “What You Need” and “Loft Music” before the two had a lowkey falling out before House Of Balloons even existed.